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Testimony

And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.

Today begins a 3 part Prayer Devotion entitled, “How could you love someone like me”. The foundational scripture comes from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 14, verse 3. God is speaking here to the children of Israel as they were held captive in Babylon. God is making a promise that He will again deliver them from bondage as He once did in Egypt. But His blessing is going to take on two characteristics. God is going to work to make a blessed change in their present state and also in their spiritual state.

(1.) In their present state. The children of Israel, they shall have rest from their bondage; the days of their affliction, though many shall have an end; and the rod of the wicked, though it is long, it shall not always lie on them.

(2.) In their spirit. They shall have rest from their sorrow and fear, sense of their present burdens and dread of worse things to come. Sometimes fear puts the soul into a torment (confusion, upheaval, turmoil, uproar) as much as sorrow does. Those who are freed from the bondage of sin have a foundation laid for true rest from sorrow and fear.

But this 3 part devotion is not a study on what God accomplished in the children of Israel. The focus will be on what God accomplished in the life of someone who too was trapped in bondage and now is free.

Part 1 – How God Saves

He went to work on this particular Friday because he had extra work to complete. There were very few people at work that day because most everyone was working a 4 day work week. Mark, his boss, was working with him. They were the only ones in their group that was working that day. It was Friday, July 17, 1999.

It started out to be a regular sort of work day. But something changed. He began to have thoughts of his past. The past of being a drunk and a drug user that included all of the bad things that go along with that. How he neglected his duties as a father. How he would waste money and time getting drunk or high on the weekends. Going to drug houses and the things that go with that. Can anyone imagine the heartache that he encountered when he would bring his little daughter with him to the drug houses only to wait until she fell asleep so that he could satisfy his desires?

That Friday, he began to feel awful. So much so, that he couldn’t concentrate on his work. It got harder and harder and he began to feel pushed into a corner and out of control, squeezed. He didn’t know what was happening to him only that it had to stop. It was the hardest emotional and psychological attack that had ever happened to him. He was shaking and not feeling well. Then came the thoughts of taking his life to put an end to it all. Only then did he realize that it was the one year anniversary of his divorce. He then began to remember all that divorce meant to him and his children. He thought that if he took his life, he would not be a burden to anyone and he wouldn’t have to re-live the things going through his mind.

Mark was his boss at the time. He gave Mark a lot of respect and thought of him as a good person. Mark was someone he could like and get along with. They had a mutual respect and friendship for each other as coworkers. He thought to himself that he probably could get Mark to let him go home early for the day. That way he could take his life. He had the means to do it; he just had to get Mark to say he could go home.

He went over to Mark’s office to talk to him. He said, “Mark, it’s the one year anniversary of my divorce and I can’t keep my mind on my work. Can I go home?” Mark said, “Can I pray for you instead?” He said, “OK” and he sat down on the empty chair in Mark’s office. Mark held his hands and Mark began to pray. He never had a man pray for him before. He began to cry. Mark then told him that he went to church and wanted to know if he ever went to church. He said no and that he hadn’t gone in a long time. Mark gave him the phone number of the Pastor and asked him to call the Pastor and find out when church is on Sunday. Mark asked if he would think about coming to church that coming Sunday morning. He told Mark that he would think about it. He remained at work that day and didn’t go home. The next 36 hours or so he can’t remember.

The next thing he remembered was waking up on Sunday morning and getting ready to go to church. He didn’t want to, but kept getting ready and actually drove to the church. When he parked he still didn’t want to be there, but the church door opened and there stood Mark.

Mark took him to Sunday School and then had someone sit with him in the service while Mark led worship as the worship leader. Then the Pastor began to preach and he felt something different happening in him. That sermon had his name on it. He began to cry again and then the Pastor said there was someone there today that didn’t want to live the life he is leading any longer. The Pastor then said I want him to come up here to the altar. There is someone waiting for him and His name is Jesus. He immediately went to the altar to pray but didn’t know how. Right then and there, Mark put down his guitar and came down to where he was kneeling and asked if he knew what was happening. He said no, but he didn’t want to live like he was living any more. Mark then led him to accept Jesus as his personal Savior. They hugged each other and prayed for over 2 hours.

Two days earlier, he had plans to take my life. On Sunday, July 18, 1999, God had different plans and saved him from eternal death and gave him eternal life. That was 15 years ago and this is now.

Just as God worked in the lives of the children of Israel to make a blessed change in their present and spiritual state, God worked in this man’s life. He didn’t realize that there was a God who could love him. He wondered, “How could you love someone like me?” God poured out his love on him that day. And his life was never the same.

Tomorrow, we’ll look even more deeply into this man’s life when Part 2 examines, “How God Restores”.

Heavenly Lord, thank You for the cross. Thank You for meeting us at our time of need and giving us Your Son Jesus to forgive us, cleanse us, and set us on the path that You have chosen. Help us Lord to live a life that gives You the glory. In Jesus Name. AMEN.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

I’ve had the privilege from time to time to watch master craftsmen at work. I’ve watched stone masons, glass blowers, wrought iron workers (blacksmiths), carvers, and those who craft fine furniture. All of these men and women were obviously gifted by God to bring beauty out of inanimate objects. Objects that have no life, yet once complete, they have personality and charm. They’ve spent countless years honing their craft. Some of them craft because of the sure joy in seeing the finished product, while others craft as their profession.

We see here in this verse that God has given us a name; a title if you will. We are “His workmanship”. God crafted us with His own hands, cell by cell and He continues to mold us into His image as a potter molds clay. He shapes us, forms us, polishes us up to do His work. Now, I’ve seen some amazing work by master craftsmen. I’ve seen work that was truly beautiful. But none of it can stand to the work God does in His children. We are alive and not inanimate. His desire is to craft us in a way that is unique to each of us. We are one of a kind. We are a “Special Edition”; a Masterpiece. We are God’s prize possession. Not for sale, and yet used for His glory.

Some craftsmen sign their pieces to let people know the origin and the artist, thereby giving that piece an increased value. Each of us have God’s fingerprint on us. That’s His signature line. His fingerprint tells everyone who crafted us and our value lies in the eternal mercy and grace of His Son, Jesus.

Can you make me a promise? Will you spend some time in prayer thanking God that He created you to be His workmanship? Will you thank God that by His mercy and grace we are one of a kind?

Dear Lord. Thank You that each of us are Your workmanship. Your one of a kind masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus. Help us understand that You are continually shaping us, forming us, molding us, polishing us for Your good pleasure so that we can walk in Your will for Your glory. Before time began, You already had a picture of what You wanted to accomplish in us. And You perfected that picture through Your Son, Jesus. We give You the glory. We give You the praise. Thank You Lord that we carry Your fingerprint. In Jesus Name. AMEN.

This morning I sit meditating on the incredible goodness of God and how much He has poured out in my life because He loves me. This morning marks an anniversary; the day I became the husband of the most wonderful and beautiful woman of God. This is not a tribute to her, but rather it lifts up and praises God for all He’s done for me.

The amazing love of the Father toward me can be summed up this way – Jesus Christ’s total giving of Himself, shown supremely in his obedient suffering and death on the cross. God gave me His One and only Son, so that I can spend eternity with Him in heaven one day, free from all sin and bondage, sorrow and tears, and remain there praising God. Jesus Christ’s total giving of Himself at Calvary and His resurrection from the grave opened the door to God’s throne room where I can enter in each and every day and worship Him, love Him, talk with Him, be challenged by Him, and be guided by Him. Each and every day. The gift continues to keep giving. Jesus continues each day to give Himself to me over and over again. That is how much the Father loves me. And it’s the same for you. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV) Amen and Hallelujah!!!

In regards to my beautiful wife, God knew before time began that we would become husband and wife and that He would set before us our steps to take together. When I sought God to help me understand what His love meant, He sent me my wife. And today I shout, “Thank you God, the giver a good gifts. O how you have blessed me.”

Jesus Christ is the supreme lover of your soul. “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:13-19 NKJV) God loves us in ways we cannot comprehend and all He accomplishes through us and for us is grounded in love. And Jesus love motivated me to a Christian marriage. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her”. (Ephesians 5:25 NKJV)

Friend, I spent a long time over the last couple of days meditating on the love of God and how much He has blessed me. But there’s one important point I have not yet talked about. That is, as God has love me, I must abide in His love. Abide is defined as “to accept without opposition or question.” I must accept God’s love without any opposition or any question. I must then return my love to others under that same set of rules. It’s called unconditional love. That is exactly what God designed for us to do. To love others as He loves us. And that is exactly how I love my wife. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV)

Dear God, thank You for Your unconditional love for us. Thank You that You gave Your Son, Jesus, to us to save us. That through that act of perfect love, we can love others as You have loved us. Thank You God for those You have given us; to be a part of Your plan for us. Thank You God for my bride, whom You chose, to be my wife. You have blessed me indeed. May all we say and do give glory and honor to Your Name. May we abide in Your love and pour out that same love to others. In Jesus Name. AMEN.

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Up from the grave, the Lord has risen. Glory Hallelujah!!! The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has defeated sin and death once for all. The glorious divinity of Jesus Christ is affirmed. Our Christian life is centered on the fact that God raised His Son, Jesus from the dead so that believers may have victory over sin and death and receive the blessings of eternal life.

God’s power is demonstrated. “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:19-20 NKJV) Our King has taken His seat on the Royal Throne in the heavenly places.

The Lordship of Jesus Christ is declared and His authority over all heaven and earth is given by the Father. “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:9 NKJV)

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ provides benefits to those who believe:

It provides the power to live for God. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4 NKJV)

Jesus Christ intercedes for us to the Father. “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34 NKJV)

And Jesus Christ’s resurrection brings assurance of our resurrection into eternal life. “And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.” (1 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV) We, too, will be raised to up to glory with Jesus Christ. We are assured of that on account of our belief and faith. We will share in the resurrection and glory of Jesus and will be with Him forever and ever and ever.

Up from the grave, the Lord has risen. Glory Hallelujah!!! The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has defeated sin and death once for all. Friend, the assurance of eternal life in heaven is available to all who believe. All means all. That’s you and me and everyone else. Jesus wants to take you to the place where He resides. Jesus wants to relieve you of the pain of sin and death and give you life everlasting. All it takes is a decision and that decision can be made now. God has given you a choice to make. Eternal death or eternal life. There is no other choice. God loves you with an everlasting love. “The Lord has appeared of old saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV) God’s Word proves His love for you and His desire to draw you unto Him. Will you make that decision today? God loves you just the way you are, but He desires you to be free from sin so that He can reside in your heart. And then Jesus will come again and take you to the place that He has prepared for you. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3 NKJV) Will you pray this prayer with me?

Dear Jesus. I am a sinner. I live a life that is not in accordance with Your will. I want to be assured of eternal life with you forever and ever. I need Your forgiveness of all my sin so that I may reside with You in heaven one day. So forgive me Lord and cleanse me. Make me white as snow. I believe Lord that You died for my sins and rose from the grave to defeat my sin and eternal death once and for all. I place my faith in You Jesus and submit to You my life. I will live for You and follow Your path for my life. Thank You Lord for today is a glorious day. In Jesus Name. AMEN.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Scripture often uses light as a symbol of the people of God, and especially the manner in which believers are able to reflect the glory of God in a dark world of sin. God is the source of the light. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1 NKJV)

Believers are called to live in His light. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NKJV) We are able to walk in the light of Jesus because of the shedding of the blood of Christ; His voluntary substitutionary sacrifice that paid in full God’s penalty for sin.

It is important that believers bear witness to Jesus Christ in the world. The world needs to see the light of Christ in us. The world needs to see that believers are different; that we are set apart and carry with us the love of Christ who gave His life for us. It’s important to remember, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NKJV)

Jesus Christ’s total giving of Himself, shown supremely in His obedient suffering and death on the cross, reveals God’s amazing love for sinners. And the world needs to see the love of Christ in us in order to push back the darkness of the world so that the light of Christ is illuminated. I know and have known people of faith that when they enter a room, the light of Jesus Christ causes everyone to stop. My eyes are immediately fixed upon them. They walk in the fullness of God’s light.

Friend, the power and the fullness of God rests in all of us as believers. We possess the light of Jesus Christ and God desires that this light shine brightly. The responsibility of every believer is to represent Jesus Christ in the world. So in our times of prayer and intimacy with God, let’s seek ways for the light of Jesus Christ to shine brightly in our lives. Let’s ask God to show us where His light can touch others around us. Let’s ask God to guide us to those who He desires for the love and the light of Jesus to impact them. Let’s ask God to fill our days with opportunities to demonstrate that Jesus is alive in us and we are a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Dear Lord, thank You that Your light pushes back the darkness of this world. Thank You that You gave Your life for us so that we too can carry that light in our lives. Lord, we pray that Your light would shine brightly in us and touch a world. Open opportunities for us to reach those who are lost. May Your love and light catch their attention. May we be obedient and share Your love and light with them. Help us to always walk in the light as You are in the light. In Jesus Name. AMEN

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed

It doesn’t take much in this world today to make you feel squeezed, confused, under attack and knocked out. Sounds like a pretty dismal existence. It is outside of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross is central to the Christian faith. Through the cross and Jesus resurrection, God achieved the redemption for believers and it brings hope to the lost and dying world. So believers don’t need to feel the pressurized, mixed up, bowled over assault that exists around them.

The gospel IS the message of the Cross. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2 NKJV) And the Cross of Calvary destroys the power of the enemy and brings reconciliation and justification to those who believe. “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10 NLKV)

The shedding of the blood of Jesus is seen as representing the giving of His life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:12-14 NKJV)

I will tell you from experience that the world will snatch you and your life up in a heartbeat and get you to believe that you need no one other than yourself to survive. We have all kinds of media that will reinforce that belief. There is even competitive competitions for the ultimate survival. Our new age sports go far out to the “extreme”. All to make the “winner” feel he or she has accomplished the ultimate goal. Except there is one major flaw in that thinking. There is always someone right behind that person waiting to jump out and destroy them. And who does this sound like? “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV)

So you might be thinking that I am exaggerating. I don’t think so. You need to know I’ve come from a place that I don’t desire to return to. A place where I was hard-pressed on every side, confused beyond understanding, persecuted by anyone and everyone, and knocked down and out. I lived outside a life in Christ. I lived for myself and all that I could steal from the world. But then I met Jesus. And if you want to know what happened, take a look at this blog page’s home page. These blogs are the testimony of my life in a nutshell and the miracle God performed in my life to rescue me from this world.

Friend, Scripture stresses that fallen human beings are cut off from God on account of their sin. I was cut off. All need to be saved, if they are to enter into a new relationship with God as their Creator and Redeemer. Salvation is not the result of any ultimate human achievement or extreme victory, privilege or wisdom, not from being first and “winning” the event, but depends totally upon the graciousness of a loving God, expressed in the Cross of Jesus Christ. And people must respond in repentance and faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus and His rising from the grave to benefit from God’s salvation in Christ.

You can change your situation today if you choose. Yes, it’s a choice given to you by God. He gave His Son Jesus to die for your sins. Now the next step is yours. Will you have faith to believe and ask Jesus into your life or will you not. What will you choose?

Dear God, thank You that You gave us Your Son, Jesus, to suffer and die for us for our sins. Thank You that we can now have eternal life with you. We are hard-pressed but yet not crushed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. We are persecuted, but not forsaken. And we are struck down, yet not destroyed. Thank You God that You care for us and give us strength to live in this world. May the life of Jesus Christ live in us. In Jesus Name. AMEN

If you have chosen to accept the blood sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and submit your life into His hands, you need to pray. You need to begin that relationship with a prayer. If your answer is, “Yes, I want Jesus to be my Lord and Savior” then you need to pray a little prayer. God promises to hear your prayer and answer you. Come with a humble and open heart to receive Him.

Dear Lord, I realize that my life in this world is not the life You planned for me. I am a sinner and desire to have an eternal relationship with You. Jesus forgive me. I believe that You suffered and died on that cross because of my sin, but you rose from the grave to defeat sin and death once and for all. And that includes me. Come into my life Lord and save me, restore me, renew me, and redeem me. I give You my life today. In Jesus Name. AMEN

Friend, if you prayed this prayer, contact a bible believing church in your area and tell someone. Like the Pastor. I’m sure he would be excited with the news. God bless you!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Today we read an excerpt from an article of a missionary team who keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking 24/7/365 days for almost 15 years. This article was written to celebrate their 10 year anniversary.

“On October 31, 1998, a nonstop prayer and fasting vigil planned for the remainder of the 20th century began in the Prayer Fortressat King’s Castle International Training Centercamp in El Salvador. But when the new millennium arrived, it seemed a natural conclusion to keep praying, so day after day, and year after year, the vigil continued. And on October 31, 2008, many people from around the world gathered at the Prayer Fortress to celebrate 10 years of unceasing prayer. “After two years, we had developed the habit, and we couldn’t imagine stopping it. So many people had been called into ministry, and so many people had witnessed miracles,” says missionary to El Salvador Terri Triplett, who founded King’s Castle Ministries with her husband Don in 1989.

Since its inception, the main prayer focus has been for revival and a modern day Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit in El Salvador and other nations. Although the number of Prayer Fortress participants varies from week to week, there is always a minimum of six intercessors on duty who cover a pair of two and a half hour shifts each day. The Tripletts estimate that approximately 12,000 people have participated in prayer over the years.
Ten years of continuous prayer and fasting have had tremendous impact in El Salvador. Thousands of people have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and hundreds have experienced a call to ministry. The Tripletts say the Prayer Fortress has become a spiritual refuge for many in their country. “Young people who are now pastors and young people from churches will make a pilgrimage and spend one or two days in the Prayer Fortress,” Terri explains. “When they have a problem or if they want to shut out the world and focus on God, they come to pray.”

But the Prayer Fortress’ impact is by no means limited to El Salvador. “Through the prayer focus, young people have gone as missionaries to other countries,” Don reports, adding that powerful ministry movements have occurred in Venezuela and Nicaragua as a result God’s work in the Prayer Fortress.

In addition to the young Salvadorans who have been called into ministry, many students from the U.S. have received a call to missions while working with King’s Castle Ministries.

Stories of Prayer Fortress-related miracles abound. The Tripletts can recall many instances of healing, deliverance and divine protection.

Maintaining nonstop prayer for 10 years has not been without its challenges. On October 1, 2005, Don and Terri left El Salvador to speak at services in the U.S. A half-hour after they left, the country’s highest volcano exploded, only five miles from the Prayer Fortress. At the time, the Tripletts’ daughter Michelle and her husband Jon were serving as missionary associates in El Salvador. After the eruption, Michelle learned that the man in charge of the Prayer Fortress had decided to suspend prayer because the entire zone was being evacuated due to the rising threat. Believing that the prayer should not cease, Michelle called a local Master’s Commission leader and explained the situation. When the leader heard the news, she said she would go to the Prayer Fortress with a group of Salvadoran Master’s Commission students who agreed that they should persist in prayer. Michelle drove the group to the Prayer Fortress, traveling “against the tide” as others evacuated the area. Never wavering in their commitment to prayer, the Master’s Commission group stayed in the Prayer Fortress for a little over a month, until the crisis was over. During that time, the students believe an angel stood guard between the center and the erupting volcano. Terri reports that when the rest of the area was covered with ash and sulfur, those at the Prayer Fortress were not affected by it.”

In September of 2006, I was blessed to be able to pray at the King’s Castle Prayer Fortress feeling the overwhelming Power of God during a mission trip to El Salvador. I was changed forever.

Our dear and precious Lord. I thank You for your hand the Prayer Fortress and over the countless servants who have given themselves daily to the ministry of prayer. I praise You, Lord, for almost 15 years of continued prayer for revival and for the lost of this world. Lord God, I pray that You would continue to provide, protect and direct Missionaries Don and Terri Triplett and those that minister with them so that the world revival would come and the lost would be reached with the saving knowledge of Jesus. In Your Holy Name, Jesus. AMEN